Lesson 42: My Kind of Perfect

We are all perfectly imperfect.  That is my profound thought for today.  It must be the 40 thing and it took me four decades to finally get this.  It was the message God wanted me to put on the blog for this week, I believe.  I found this song on Saturday night and the next morning at church the sermon was just about that--perfectly imperfect people.  I get it, God.  This is what you want me to write about.  I got the message and I will share it with others.

Our pastor was on vacation and a beautiful girl from our church wrote and read the sermon.  She opened by citing examples of imperfect people who did great things: Moses with his speech impediment, David--an adulterer, and Paul--a persecutor.  Her message to everyone was that we can't wait to come to God after we've cleaned up our problems.  We go to Him today, with all of our shortcomings in tow, and He loves us anyway.  "I can work with that," He says.  What a comfort.

I feel for my kids, as do many of you, growing up in a household of two teachers.  I have heard many a time that we are "too hard on our kids."  I don't think that is the case at all.  Disciplining and staying on top of your children by watching how they behave and what they learn is a natural and God designed part of parenting.  We set the bar high at our house and expect our kids to fall every so often in trying to reach it.  Goals are certainly attainable, but perfection is not.  If you don't believe me, just look back at any blog post with Sam as the topic.

The song posted above is from one of my favorite American Idol stars.  Let me introduce you to my future son in law, everyone.  This is David Aruchuleta, the 21 year old talent who was the first runner up on Idol a couple of years ago.  I have David all picked out for Ellen.  The girl he is singing about in his song is her.  I am sure of it.  The catch is they just haven't crossed paths yet.  In truth, he actually met her once.  Too bad it was in Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena with thousands of other screaming fans.  You know how shy Ellen can be.  I think she got overshadowed by all the teenagers and she was a mere 8 years old at the time.  All in due time though, Ellen.  I'll keep the faith.  My daughter is only ten--probably too young to be thinking about this arranged marriage to someone eleven years her senior, but it does take time to plan and save for a wedding.  I recommend watching the video now, then returning to this post to read the rest.  You will see why this young man is so special and why I love the song.  He's my kind of perfect.
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Yeah!   You're back!  I could feel the vibrations as you were tapping to the rhythm of the music on your keyboards.  I loved the song, especially its title.  But what I loved the most was the little interview piece in the middle that shows what kind of a person David Archuleta is.  Perhaps it is his youth.  Maybe it is his good Mormon upbringing showing through.  Or what it he is just fulfilling his God given gift by singing and sending messages to all of us through his voice.  No matter the case, David is sending us a message not only with his song, but with how he handles his stardom so responsibly.  Not like, well, er, um, hmmmm  Charlie Sheen, let's say.

It was when David spoke the word "message" during that interview that pricked up my ears.  He stated that he wanted the songs on this album not to be generic, but to tell a message.  David wanted to make sure what he said mattered to people.  What a positive and upbeat statement to make to all of us.  I will mimic him in this blog as well.

So here is Eloise's message for all of you:  we never have to try to be perfect.  However, we need to remember that what we do, what we say, and how we live matters.  Your actions make a statement to the world as to who you are.  Are you sending a good message or you just living a generic life?  Are you behaving the way God wants you to?  Could someone please forward this to Charlie Sheen?  In summary, we just have to do the best we can each day with the gifts God has given us.  He doesn't care if we are perfect, because we are all perfectly imperfect.  We are His kind of perfect. 

According to Eloise's calculations, you all will be receiving wedding invitations in the mail in the year 2029.  I'll send the "Save the Date" refrigerator magnets next week.  Don't miss it because the music will be outstanding.  Tennessee Back Porch should be well into retirement by then, so David can bring in his peeps to help celebrate.  I can't wait to see who is on this guest list.  Slovenians, it may be a bit early to book your ticket, but keep watching for those deals.  They come up every now and again.  Don't let a good one pass you by.

Peace,
Eloise